Phase-change materials (PCMs) are capable of transforming between an amorphous phase and a crystalline phase. For example, a PCM switch may be transformed from a non-conductive amorphous phase to a highly conductive crystalline phase by a crystallizing heat pulse generated by a heating element in response to an electrical pulse from a pulse generator. The PCM switch may subsequently be transitioned back to the non-conductive amorphous phase by an amorphizing heat pulse generated by the heating element in response to another electrical pulse from the pulse generator. Given the ever-increasing reliance on radio frequency (RF) communication, there is particular need for RF switching devices to exploit the advantages provided by PCM switches.
However, in order to reliably change the state of a PCM RF switch, the pulse generator may be very large, and may reduce available area of a semiconductor die. Where the semiconductor die employs numerous additional PCM RF switches (e.g., for selectively reconfiguring an array of RF devices), incorporating numerous additional large pulse generators may not be practical. Moreover, because pulse generators have associated leakage currents, additional pulse generators increase total power losses.
Thus, there is need in the art to reliably progam PCM RF switches while increasing available die area and decreasing sources of leakage currents.